Amtrak Heartland Flyer marks 1 million riders

Amtrak on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, identified a university student from Oklahoma City "as representative of the 1 million passengers" since its Heartland Flyer began service in 1999.

Rooke Jackson, a freshman at Oklahoma State University, on Friday attended events in Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Tex., with his father and grandfather, to mark the event, Amtrak said. By the Jackson family's count, family members have collectively ridden the Heartland Flyer more than 150 times.

Mike Patterson, executive director of Oklahoma Department of Transportation, attended the brief ceremony at the Paul Adams Memorial Platform at the Oklahoma City Amtrak Station to congratulate the Jackson family.

Texas DOT Rail Division Director Erik Stevens said, "We'd also like to "We'd also like to congratulate the 'millionth' rider and wish the Jackson family many more, enjoyable trips on the route."

The Heartland Flyer is jointly sponsored by the Oklahoma and Texas transportation departments, and provides connections to Amtrak's daily Texas Eagle and triweekly Sunset Limited at Fort Worth. Efforts have been made to extend the train's current route beyond its northern terminus in Oklahoma City to Newton, Kan., providing a potential link with Amtrak's Southwest Chief.